Heart-Check Meal Certification Program Nutrition Requirements

The Heart-Check mark takes the guesswork out of spotting heart-healthy options while dining out.

Nutrition requirements for certified meals includes the following:

Calories

Total Fat

Saturated Fat

Cholesterol

Trans Fat

Sodium

Beneficial Nutrients

Details:

Calories - 700 calories or less per the entire meal

Total Fat - 3 grams or less total fat per 100 grams, and 30 percent or less calories from total fat in the meal, and 26 grams or less total fat per the entire meal

Saturated Fat - 1 gram or less saturated fat per 100 grams, and less than 10 percent calories from saturated fat in the meal, and 5 grams or less saturated fat per the entire meal

Cholesterol - 20 milligrams or less cholesterol per 100 grams, and 105 milligrams or less cholesterol per the entire meal

Trans Fat - Less than 0.5 grams trans fat per the entire meal

Sodium - 900 milligrams or less sodium per the entire meal (through June 30, 2013); 800 milligrams or less sodium per the entire meal (starting July 1, 2013)

Beneficial Nutrient - 10 percent or more of the Daily Value of one of the following nutrients per the entire meal: vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, dietary fiber or protein

Additionally:

If the meal includes a beverage, the nutritional values for the beverage must be included as part of the nutritional profile of the overall meal. Acceptable beverages include: water, fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk, and beverages containing less than 10 calories per serving.

To verify compliance, the American Heart Association will review the standardized recipes and conduct nutrient data analysis for certified meals. Additionally, the AHA will perform random secret shopper sampling of certified meals. These samples will be sent to an accredited laboratory for testing.

No donations are used to support the Heart-Check program. Participating restaurants in the Restaurant Meal Certification Program pay an administrative fee to the American Heart Association which is used to cover program operating expenses.